Biathlon World Championships

Biathlon World Championships
The first Biathlon World Championships (BWCH) was held in 1958, with individual and team contests for men. The number of events has grown significantly over the years. Beginning in 1984, women biathletes had their own World Championships, and finally, from 1989, both genders have been participating in joint Biathlon World Championships. In 1978 the development was enhanced by the change from the large army rifle calibre to a small bore rifle, while the range to the target was reduced from 150 to 50 meters.
Venues
The Biathlon World Championships of the season takes place during February or March. Some years it has been necessary to schedule parts of the Championships at other than the main venue because of weather and/or snow conditions. Full, joint Biathlon World Championships have never been held in Olympic Winter Games seasons. Biathlon World Championships in non-IOC events, however, have been held in Olympic seasons. In 2005, the then new event of Mixed Relay (two legs done by women, two legs by men) was arranged separately from the ordinary Championships.
Arranged Championships:
1958 Saalfelden, Austria
1959 Courmayeur, Italy
1961 Umeå, Sweden
1962 Hämeenlinna, Finland
1963 Seefeld, Austria
1965 Elverum, Norway
1966 Garmisch-Partenkirchen, West Germany
1967 Altenberg, East Germany (first event in East Europe)
1969 Zakopane, Poland
1970 Östersund, Sweden
1971 Hämeenlinna, Finland
1973 Lake Placid, New York, United States (first event outside Europe and in the Americas)
1974 Minsk, USSR
1975 Antholz-Anterselva, Italy
1976 Antholz-Anterselva, Italy (Sprint)
1977 Vingrom, Norway
1978 Hochfilzen, Austria
1979 Ruhpolding, West Germany
1981 Lahti, Finland
1982 Minsk, USSR
1983 Antholz-Anterselva, Italy
1984 Chamonix, France (Women)
1985 Ruhpolding, West Germany (Men) and Egg am Etzel (near Einsiedeln), Switzerland (Women)
1986 Oslo, Norway (Men) and Falun, Sweden (Women)
1987 Lake Placid, New York, United States (Men) and Lahti, Finland (Women)
1988 Chamonix, France (Women)
1989 Feistritz an der Drau, Austria (first joint Biathlon World Championships)
1990 Minsk, USSR; Oslo, Norway and Kontiolahti, Finland
1991 Lahti, Finland
1992 Novosibirsk, Russia (Team)
1993 Borovets, Bulgaria
1994 Canmore, Canada (Team)
1995 Antholz-Anterselva, Italy
1996 Ruhpolding, Germany
1997 Brezno-Osrblie, Slovakia
1998 Pokljuka, Slovenia (Pursuit) and Hochfilzen, Austria (Team)
1999 Kontiolahti, Finland and Oslo, Norway
2000 Oslo, Norway and Lahti, Finland
2001 Pokljuka, Slovenia
2002 Oslo, Norway (Mass start)
2003 Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia
2004 Oberhof, Germany
2005 Hochfilzen, Austria and Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia (Mixed relay)
2006 Pokljuka, Slovenia (Mixed relay)
2007 Antholz-Anterselva, Italy
2008 Östersund, Sweden
2009 Pyeongchang, South Korea (first event in Asia)
2010 Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia (Mixed relay)
2011 Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia
2012 Ruhpolding, Germany
2013 Nové Město na Moravě, Czech Republic
2015 Kontiolahti, Finland
2016 Oslo, Norway
2017 Hochfilzen, Austria
2019 Östersund, Sweden
2020 Antholz-Anterselva, Italy
2021 Pokljuka, Slovenia
2023 Oberhof, Germany
Upcoming:
2024 Nové Město na Moravě, Czech Republic
2025 Lenzerheide, Switzerland
2027 Otepää, Estonia
Men
Bold numbers in brackets denotes record number of victories in corresponding disciplines.
Individual (20 km)
This event was first held in 1958.
Medal table
Sprint (10 km)
This event was first held in 1974.
Medal table
Pursuit (12.5 km)
This event was first held in 1997.
Medal table
Mass start (15 km)
This event was first held in 1999.
Medal table
Relay (4 × 7.5 km)
This event was first held unofficially in 1965. It was a success, and replaced
the team competition as an official event in 1966.
Medal table
Team (time)
This event was held from 1958 to 1965. The times of the top 3 athletes from each country in the 20 km individual were added together
(in 1958 the top 4).
Medal table
Team
This event, a patrol race, was held from 1989 to 1998. 1989–93: 20 km. 1994–98: 10 km.
Medal table
Women
Bold numbers in brackets denotes record number of victories in corresponding disciplines.
Individual (15 km)
This event was first held in 1984. Through 1988 the distance was 10 km.
Medal table
Sprint (7.5 km)
This event was first held in 1984. Through 1988 the distance was 5 km.
Medal table
Pursuit (10 km)
This event was first held in 1997.
Medal table
Mass start (12.5 km)
This event was first held in 1999.
Medal table
Relay (4 × 6 km)
This event was first held in 1984. Through 1988, the event was 3 × 5 km. 1989–91: 3 × 7.5 km. 1993–2001: 4 × 7.5 km. In 2003, the leg distance was set to 6 km.
Medal table
Team
This event, a patrol race, was held from 1989 to 1998. 1989–93: 15 km. 1994–98: 7.5 km.
Medal table
Mixed
Bold numbers in brackets denotes record number of victories in corresponding disciplines.
Mixed relay
This event was first held in 2005, at the Biathlon World Cup finals in Khanty-Mansiysk. In 2005–20, the women biathletes did the first two legs and the men did the following two (except 2006 when sequence was woman–man–woman–man), the women's ski legs were 6 km each while men ski legs were 7.5 km each (except 2005, 2006 and 2020 when ski legs were 6 km each for all relay members). In 2021, the starting gender became the result of a alternation: for the first time, men opened the relay and women closed it. Since then, this sequence alternates for each following edition. The distance skied became the same for all genders and depending on the one running the first leg (7.5 km if men run first, 6 km if women do).
Medal table
Single mixed relay
This event was first held in 2019. Each team consists of two members - man and woman. The first of the team members runs the first and third legs (3 km each), the other team member – the second and fourth legs (3 km and 4.5 km respectively). In 2019 and 2020 the women biathletes started single mixed relay and the men biathletes finished it, in 2021 this order was reversed. Since then, this order alternates for each following edition.
Medal table
Total medals by country
Updated after the 2023 Championships.
Multiple medalists
Boldface denotes active biathletes and highest medal count among all biathletes (including these who not included in these tables) per type.
Men
All events
Individual events
Women
All events
Individual events
See also
Biathlon World Cup
Summer Biathlon World Championships
Biathlon Junior World Championships
List of Olympic medalists in biathlon
References
External links
Sports 123 biathlon results
Recurring sporting events established in 1958